Ana Beatriz Pineda and Obdulio Espinoza,

Finca Monte Alto

Both of us grew up among the coffee plants…

Our parents and indeed grandparents worked the land long before we were born. My husband, Obdulio, was born into a very poor family with ten siblings; a family where there was hardly enough to provide for so many mouths.

I was from a poor family as well, but we fared slightly better and my parents could always give priority to my education. However, in the late nineties, after a devastating wave of rust leaf, three of my brothers decided to emigrate to the United States in search of other opportunities and new horizons.

Quite suddenly, I became responsible for all our plots, and while this was a time of hardship, it was also during those years that I learned all the ins and outs of growing coffee. I educated myself in soil conservation, water management, shadow, organic waste, drying techniques and preparation.

By the time my brothers came back, I was not only a well-trained coffee grower, but also married to Obdulio, which meant the start of a happy and fructifying alliance between the Pineda and Espinoza families.

Nowadays, Obdulio and I grow an array of cultivars on two plots which are at different locations, each with their own, unique micro-climate, which allows us to harvest during a prolonged season and to offer a wider range of beans and flavors.

Obdulio’s brother Nery has a processing facility where we process and stock our coffees as well and our nephew Javier is studying at the Honduran Coffee Institute to become a Q grader. Last year, when he was only 18 years old, Javier prepared his first 87 profile from our own Colombia variety, which he sold to Carlos René Guerra, Honduras’s national barista champion (16th of the world in Boston, 2019).

So, our two families have joined forces in our efforts to manage an integral coffee business, which combines all aspects of knowledge and command, from growing, to processing and stocking, as well as quality control.

The logical next step in this process is to work directly with small roasters throughout the world who are looking for consistent, high-quality coffees, and for long lasting relationship with a trustworthy, polivalente partner in the upcoming region of Ocotepeque, the land that we love.

Farm facts

Our combined plots measure around 13,5 hectares and are both located between 1,300 and 1,390 meters, though at different locations, each with their own unique micro climate.

 The varieties we offer are Bourbon, Catimor, Colombia, Paca y Lempira and shadow is provided abundantly by natural trees like izote, cuanagiquil and zapote, but also by trees that we planted to increase diversity, attract bird life and bees, and eat fruits: avocado, mandarin and lemon, predominantly. The mandarin and lemon also infuse a subtle zest into the surrounding coffee plants.

Our farm is Certified Fair Trade, and Organic.

This farm is Rain Forest Alliance certified.